An infrared device (e.g., an infrared sensor or an infrared camera having an infrared sensor, such as a microbolometer array) typically must be calibrated before it can produce an accurate image of the scene being viewed. Without corrections based on calibration data, pixel non-uniformities swamp the image signal and the scene is typically unrecognizable.
A conventional calibration process is generally performed on an infrared camera core that is viewing a uniform-flux scene provided by a high-emissivity uniform blackbody, with the infrared camera core including an infrared detector (within a vacuum package assembly) along with associated electronic components (to operate the infrared detector), a heat sink, and a lens. This conventional calibration process is performed within an environmental chamber over a range of temperatures.
A drawback of this conventional calibration process is that the time necessary to obtain the calibration data over the required temperatures may be excessive, which results in increased manufacturing costs and limits manufacturing capability. Furthermore for this conventional calibration process, it may be difficult to adequately stabilize the temperatures of the infrared camera core and the blackbody, which must be at the same temperature during calibration data acquisition for each desired temperature.
As a result, there is a need, for example, for improved techniques for calibrating infrared devices.